Consolidated Smart Systems

If you move make sure you call your credit card company, have them red flag this company. They will continue to charge your credit card. If they owe you money make sure they credit your credit card account. Two months now and still waiting for a check. Oh they said they sent one out July 23, 09. They also bill you a month in advance but you will not get back all the money they owe you. My bill was 27.70 a month. I moved out May 23, 09 so when they charged my credit card in May that was for June. Then they charged my credit card in June. They say they owe me 36.93 I don't know where they learned to do math? They owe me 55.40 plus 9 days in May that should be prorated. This company should be out of bussiness. They make their money by stealing from their customers.I'll be calling my credit card company and letting them go after these crooks. I will also call the BBB and FCC. Consolidated needs to be stopped.

Posted 09/19/09 | Report Abuse

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I have been their customer for more than 1 year - and I hope - NEVER again. I have to agree with all the comments (except Stacey's one).

Just for your curiosity - I had tough time to disconnect service - because when I called them - they were unable to locate me as a customer based on my address! I didn't know my account number and they had my name misspelled on the file. Their customer service representative did hang up the phone! I was even afraid the only way to disconnect the service would be to call my credit card company and ask them not to allow any more charges from CSS.

And not to mention - after disconnecting the service - you have to send them all the equipment via mail.

I do NOT recommend this company.

Posted 07/30/09 | Report Abuse

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I have worked with Consolidated for a few years, maybe 3, and so far so good. My building is completely ran by this company. I get my washer/dryer, refrigerators, direcTV service and even Internet. Why go anywhere else if they service all. I'm glad to say that if any problems arise, they are responsive in a timely manner. The tenants were content to see how they cared for the customers home, as they wore booties on their shoes to keep the white carpets clean. (very considerate). I read the reviews down bellow, and i was surprised at the comments of these unsatisfied customers, it was shocking.

Posted 07/16/09 | Report Abuse

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I cannot tell you how much I hate this company!

To make a really long story short:

I paid for HD channels without getting them for a year. Everytime I called they lied to me and said they would be out in a week to fix the problem. I complained to the management company who said they were having the same problem with them and they were constantly lying and changing their story. Bottom line they had the wrong type of satellite dish on my roof which wasn't capable of the HD programming. Luckily DirectTV was still doing my billing at the time and they refunded all the HD monthly charges.

Finally, after a year they came and told me I would need new boxes (to go with the correct dish capable of full HD), so they replaced the three older ones in my apartment that I owned with "upgraded boxes." After a few months the new one in my room broke.

I called them and they said they would not talk to me until I paid my balance due. I said, I didn't have a balance due and I always pay my bill on time. They told me I owed them $150 for programming and that I should stop paying Direct TV. After some research and a few days they admitted they were double billing me and decided to finally help me with my broken box.

It was then that they informed me owned the box for 97 days and the warranty was only good for 90 days, therefore I would have to pay for a new box ($100) plus I would have to pay a technician $30/hr from the time he left Gardena till he fixed my problem. I said this was ridiculous and I kept calling back until I got the same story from 5 people. I complained to my management company who said they would tell their consolidated rep, they copied me on an email and the person they forwarded my complaint still has not replied after a month. I continued calling and said I want someone to look at my box to see if it can be fixed. I argued that I see their trucks at my complex every day and I there is no reason I should have to pay for them to evaluate my problem. They agreed, they looked at the box and told me it was broken and I would need to pay about $200 to fix the problem. I told them I would not pay them anything since they gave me faulty equipment. They told me that I was leasing my box and I would actually owe them money because it was broken even if I didn't replace it. This is when I lost it! I never signed nor entered a lease and they took MY original equipment to replace it with their garbage. I told them forget it I would rather not have television at all then pay such a corrupt company for equipment that might break in a few month.

I moved on with my life and resigned myself to watching TV in the living room, until this week, when that box broke. I called to complain that now two boxes are broken merely 4 months from when they gave me brand new equipment and they gave me the same song and dance, now I would have to pay approximately $400 to get satellite television back to bedroom and living room. I called and called, I demanded they return my old equipment and they told me too bad and it was my problem. I've decided to cancel everything because living without TV is better than dealing with these jerks.

I am considering taking them to small claims to return my property. I filed a complaint with the FCC

Posted 03/10/09 | Report Abuse

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I purchased 3 High Definition boxes from this company and NOT ONCE did they mention that our building does not receive High Definition channels? I have tried to get my money back from them and get our old boxes back for the past 5 months!!! My final straw was when they hung up on me today because the Consolidated Representative couldn't answer my questions.

He did say that we had some channels... but he didn't know what channels they were. I can tell you that its not any of the local channels - NBC, CBS, and ABC!

Posted 02/05/09 | Report Abuse

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They will lie to you so make sure you read all of their info. They told me that the all of the channels work perfectly and the signals will be strong, also told me that the internet connection is solid. DON'T BELIEVE THEM. If your internet connection is important to you better not use their service. I would suggest not even live anywhere that support Consolidated Smart System, why your business will be damaged, your service will be like a third world service. Trust me you will have some major issues.

I moved out because of them due to my business failing...

Posted 10/10/08 | Report Abuse

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I'd like to echo the other review here -- when we moved into our building a year ago, we were told that if we wanted TV or Internet, we HAD to go through CSS. The Internet was awful: much slower than advertised, and that was when it worked, which it usually didn't. Soon switched to AT&T DSL and haven't had a single problem since.

As far as the DirecTV goes, our DVR consistently locks us out of channels we should be getting and/or returns a "Signal not found" message. Sometimes resetting the device solves this problem, sometimes not. It's a huge pain in the neck. Nearly half of the programs we try to record fail.

The only thing more frustrating than this is trying to get in touch with CSS, where the voice mailbox is always "full," they have no problem making you wait on the phone for 30 minutes - 1 hr, and have NEVER EVER returned any of my calls like they said they would. This is a terrible company, a crooked and shady operation, and I hope that you never have to deal with them. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!

Posted 09/21/08 | Report Abuse

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This company basically makes their money by renting an exclusive contract to service an apartment building's tenants in regards to high-speed Internet, television (usually DirecTV), and/or appliances like laundry, refrigerator, etc. In some cases these contracts may prohibit other service alternatives, so clarify what options are available at what costs if you may move to a building which contracts services from Consolidated Smart Systems.

In the case of Internet services, they offer generally unsatisfactory service compared to alternatives like DSL or cable (which may not be available in units serviced by CSBS). The service can be slow or intermittent, and their technicians are routinely unhelpful.

For television service, they create or convert a DirecTV account in your name and bill you the normal DirecTV fee PLUS a substantial service fee, which varies based on their arrangement with the landlord. More than a few snafus can arise with this billing arrangement, which may be of particular concern to current DirecTV customers who do not want their account tarnished.

Beware of entering into any business arrangement with these guys! Read all contracts thoroughly and if possible, do so *before* you seriously consider moving into any place that does business with this "service provider"...

Posted 12/03/07 | Report Abuse

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